Without limiting the scope of the invention, its background is described in connection with probiotic organisms.
Probiotic organisms can have a number of positive effects on health. Often, the probiotic organisms are provided such that they enter and colonize portions of the digestive tract. Probiotics compete against local organisms that have previously colonized the digestive tract. These local organisms inhibit colonization by other microorganisms and in some cases can be deleterious to the development of a healthy digestive flora. Many probiotic organisms are presently available that are ingested to attempt to establish a desirable, positive intestinal flora. However, the effectiveness of the probiotic cultures that are ingested to attempt to compete against the local organisms is often limited by the ability of the organisms to reach the target site, outcompete the local organisms, establish stable colonization and compete for nutrients against pre-existing organisms. The problem with undesirable digestive organisms is that they often become increasingly resistant to antibiotics, become well established in the intestinal mucosa, have had an opportunity to adapt to the local environment, effectively compete for nutrients and are not transported out of the digestive tract.
One such invention that attempts to address the problem of probiotic colonization is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 7,172,777, issued to Schmitt, et al. for a powder for preparation of a probiotic yogurt food. Briefly, Schnitt teaches a powder for preparation of a probiotic yogurt food that contains probiotic cultures with a prespecified proportion of living probiotic lactic-acid bacteria and a thermogenetic-lipolytic resorption-enhancing agent, in particular pepper extract, to intensify the resorptive processes in the intestine, as well as a capillary-dilating agent, in particular nicotinic acid, to achieve dilation of the capillaries in the intestinal tract.
Yet another invention is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,468,525, issued to Watson, et al., for a probiotic formulation useful as a food supplement and a material for reestablishing beneficial bacteria to the body's intestinal tract that includes a mixture of beneficial probiotic microflora comprising lactobacillus acidophilus, bifidobacterium bifidum, lactobacillus salivarius, bifidobacterium infantis, and bifidobacterium longum, fructooligosaccharides, L-glutamine, and N-acetyl glucosamine.
Yet another invention is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,203,797, issued to Perry for a dietary supplement and method for use as a probiotic, for alleviating the symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome. The dietary supplement taught is a probiotic and for alleviating symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, that includes freeze-dried aloe, fructo-oligosaccharides, and dahlia inulin juice mixture and optionally vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) manganese and L-glutamine. An additional alternate embodiments specifically for alleviation of symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, including in the base formula bromelain and papain. Also for specific probiotic functions the following friendly bacteria: Lactobacillus bulgaricus, lactobacillus acidophilus, lactobacillus plantarum, and Bifidobacterium bifidum could be added to the base formula.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,060,050 issued to Brown, et al., teaches probiotic composition for inclusion in food products to enhance their nutritional value. The composition includes one or more probiotic microorganisms such as Bifidobacterium and a carrier to transport the microorganisms to the large bowel or other regions of the gastrointestinal tract. The carrier is a modified or unmodified resistant starch, particularly a high amylose starch, which acts as a growth or maintenance medium for microorganisms in the large bowel or other regions of the gastrointestinal tact.
United States Patent Application No. 20070059296, teaches a probiotic composition having acid-resistant enteric coating that includes 15 to 20 wt % of milk powder, 25 to 30 wt % of corn starch, 8 to 15 wt % of modified starch (capsule), 10 to 15 wt % of ethylcellulose, 5 to 15 wt % of bacterial broth, and 10 to 15 wt % of talc. The probiotic composition is microencapsulated to form a plurality of microencapsule coated with an acid-resistant enteric coating for improving the enteric acid-resistance, the probiotic survival rate, the antimicrobial property, the stability, the moisture-proof property, and the mobility of the probiotic composition preventing from coagulation in a moist environment and for being used as an additive applied to livestock feed.